Tom Corbett's Plan to Build a World Class Transportation Infrastructure

Summary

Our roads, airports, rails and ports not only move millions of people each day to work, school and home, but they also carry Pennsylvania's goods and services to our communities and to the rest of the world. Our transportation infrastructure is critical to our economic future and the current aged and inadequate system must be improved. Tom Corbett's vision for Pennsylvania's transportation system is to promote a transportation infrastructure that facilitates the safe and swift flow of people and ideas among communities and throughout the world with reliable and sustainable funding sources.

Plan Highlights

• Investment in our infrastructure - Tom Corbett will bring integrity to the transportation budgeting and programming process, providing an honest plan with real numbers and real results. Tom's plan will seek to add new tools to the funding tool belt, advance innovative financing opportunities and leverage all existing financial assets. Tom's plan will:
  • Convene a transportation funding workgroup
  • Improve federal transportation funding opportunities, maximizing all federal government sources
  • Grow new capacity projects harnessing public-private partnerships
  • Maximize current user fees
  • Utilize public-private partnerships
  • Restore integrity to the Motor License Fund
  • Enhance local control
  • Develop a transportation trust fund
  • Pursue additional funding sources
  • Enhance transportation program management
• Support Highways Construction and Maintenance - Tom's plan will continue to prioritize system maintenance and bridge safety, focus on low-cost safety activities (signage, reflectors, line painting), optimize use of intelligent transportation and technology and accelerate incorporation of new products and processes
• Meet construction needs - Tom's plan will utilize a comprehensive approach to meet construction needs including:
  • Design all roadway projects with the future in mind
  • Expanding Penn DOT's approaches to include: design-build, offsite construction, value-added incentives, among others
  • Directing PennDOT to work with its partners to establish a strategic plan that identifies and tracks performance measures
  • Employing innovative practices during road construction to minimize motorist impact
• Minimize the Environmental Impact during construction and maintenance by identifying opportunities for the recycling of roadway materials, directing PennDOT to implement proven new technology to improve quality and lengthen lifecycle of highways, accelerating the deployment of "green" highway technology and methods and certify the environmental sensitivity of its projects
• Enhance Pennsylvania's Intermodal Resources to ensure all of Pennsylvania's transportation assets are leveraged for the safety, convenience and economic opportunities of all Pennsylvanians. To accomplish this Tom's plan will:
  • Expand intermodal linkages, directing PennDOT to incorporate intermodal linkages in planning and programming considerations
  • Closely monitor rail expansion opportunities as a result of the Panama Canal Expansion Project
  • Improve air travel, supporting the allocation of funding through the administration of the Federal Aviation Block Grants, Aviation Development Program and capital Transportation Assistance Program
  • Grow our ports by calling for coordinated and optimized investments to enhance capabilities and capacities of our ports
• Maintain Pennsylvania's Mass Transit System as a key component of our transportation infrastructure while fostering an emphasis on meeting the needs of its customers
• Supporting the Private Transportation Industry facilitating the growth of key private industry sectors as well as local and regional development

 

View a printable version of Tom Corbett's full Transportation policy (PDF file)

©2010, Paid for by Tom Corbett for Governor
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